the morning. what it means for accumulation later tonight, maybe a little snow in the metro area. maybe an inch or two in the south is getting the real snow but it is real snow farther south of here. >> as you mentioned the metro appears to be clear. to our south it could be a different story. jeff goldberg is in fredericksburg with the latest conditions there. >> a lot of disappointment here in fredericksburg. people were excited about the snow and they are still hopeful it will still come. we've had a lot of steady cold, nasty rain all day today. if it does change to snow it seems like everyone will be ready. after what feels like an endless stretch of rainy days, people in fredericksburg were hoping that winter would finely hit. >> i was hoping for snow. i was hoping for the first legit

snowstorm of the year. >> he did not complain of the cancellation of school because of the snow but he will complain about what is falling. >> i was hoping for snow. >> vdot started planning. >> we started planning yesterday when they said snow. >> operations manager keith washington -- >> this is an exciting moment. >> has been coordinating personnel and plows nonstop. >> vdot will deploy 900 pieces of equipment including 35 trucks dedicated to i-95. >> be patient and give us a chance to get out there. >> thursday afternoon, fredericksburg schools along with other counties canceled all afternoon activities sending students home in a hurry. >> i'm glad i get to go home in a hurry.

>> the right decision because safety comes first. >> because of all the rain we've had the past couple of days and today vdot did not pretreat the roads with chemicals, they would have melted away. instead, all the plow trucks are filled with sand ready to hit the roads at a moment's notice. >> thank you, jeff. this lack of snow in maryland is coming up as a disappointment for many. at true value a has left the store with a lot of snow supplies and some of is supplies have been sitting on the shelves for years. some of the workers say they would like to get some extra cash by running a snowplow overnight. later in this newscast we'll show you the precautions that the washington workers are taking to avoid the prepete of

the snow fall two year ace go. >> a school bus stop turned into a crime scene this morning. a teenager girl said a man attacked her. abc 7 chief brad bell joins us with how the girl escaped. >> she kicked and screamed, this man grabbed her hard enough as she waited for the school bus that they both fell to the ground. this is a neighborhood of concerned neighbors and they are very troubled about what happened here today. it happened at about 6:30 this morning at this intersection. a girl was waiting for her high school bus when a suspect grabbed her. she caused them both to fall to the ground where she was able to kick her attacker and escape. a neighbor said he heard a noise but didn't know what it was. >> i heard a scream this morning. i did hear a scream and i was thinking it was the kids going

to school. but it was too early to go to school that early and i never thought about it. >> this afternoon police cruisers are crisscrossing the neighborhood. there are three bus stops in this area. police are also knocking on doors and looking for leads to quiet the nerves of anxious neighbors. >> i'm always afraid of being attacked being an old man. that is crazy. >> i've never heard of something like this and we've lived here over 40 years. >> police only have a vague description of the suspect, a man in his 20's or 30's wearing a gray hoodie. they are out here in force tonight. they are driving around the community slowly and they are looking at people and talking to people who even com close to matching that description. >>al jeerian forces say they

have freed the hostages that were at a natural gas plant. the captives said 35 hostages died after forces raided the plant but television says that only four people were killed. we're going to dig deeper coming up at 6:00. >> back here locally no arrests tonight after a woman was found shot to death in a mobile home. police were called out just before 3:30 this morning to the cedar knoll trailer park after a neighbor heard gunshots. they found a woman who had been shot. she was pronounced dead at the seen. >> we know which d.c. schools will be shut down at the end of the year and the list comes with a lot of angry words exchanged. sam ford is outside of one of the schools targeted to be closed.

he's in southeast washington. it seems like we've seen this movie before. >> we're in southeast washington and this is one of 20 schools of the first list that was released in november. the people here are not pleased. as schools like this one in southeast as parents picked up their children this afternoon -- >> this is ridiculous. this is a good facility. >> points on the d.c. map shows locations slated to close. 13 this year, two more next year. in a news briefing today henderson noted that she plans to close 20 but after meeting community members changed her minds on five schools. >> i heard compelling things on the community that impacted the decision. >> she decided to take some off the list because she thought

this one would grow. >> we heard from the meant police department and city leaders and we've heard of issues we've never seen before. >> charters are up a lot now 35,000. for some public school parents closings don't make sense. >> when they close it is it going to be a charter school? that's what they are going to do. thank you now i have to relocate my child. >> there were protests in the council today and here at this school parents and students left some time ago saying they were heading to kaya henderson's house to protest there tonight. reporting live in southeast washington, sam foshed, abc 7 news. >> shocking new allegations

tonight from d.c. councilman marion barry. he says that he claims that the f.b.i. tried to kill him. in the report he says that the f.b.i. supplied his ex-girlfriend with tainted crack cocaine and e.m.t. on stand by. >> in just a few hours we will hear lance armstrong's admission that he cheated his way to history. natasha barrett is live in the news center about what we know so far. >> ofrom winfrey is confirming some of the rumors she says that armstrong partially confessed up. it all happens tonight. this great champion lance armstrong reportedly confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs with an interview. >> we agreed there would be no conditions on this interview and this would be an open field.

>> fans of his career has watched as his golden reputation started to tarnish after he announced he will no longer fight charges from the anti-doping agency. he maintained his innocence there. >> now all of sudden, he wants to come open with it. i'm interested to see what kind of truth he will convey. >> many people view his announcement as an admission to the allegations. they are watching to see how he will handle himself. >> the fact that there is a guilt fact their should be associated with it. we'll see if he actually cares. >> the livestrong foundation released this statement today "this week lance came to the foundation to talk to the team in person. he expresses regret that the

team stress the team suffered. we expect lance to be truthful in his interview and with all of us in the cancer community we expect we will have more to say at that time." oprah also admitted today that she was satisfied by his responses. she said "he did not come clean that n the manner that i expected." >> thank you very much. coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00. we're keeping an eye out for snow after a risk of a blast of winter prompted a lot of people to change their plans. >> speaking of plans, not going to the inauguration? no problem. we'll show you how to get involved without fighting the crowds. >> a d.c. landmark is open after a year of rent renovations. >> fallout from the story of a heisman trophy candidate and his

dying girlfriend. turns out the story was a hoax.

>> this is the college football scandal that has the nations buzzing today.

a football player's dying girlfriend who never existed. >> this is raising a lot of questions about football star manti te'o. >> it doesn't appear that he has broken any law but this story which gained national attention became a candidate for this season's heisman trophy could turn nfl scouts sour on the star. it has many fans wondering what is is the truth? the story of man tie te'o reads between a bad romance novel and who done it? he falls in love with a girl he met on line then she gets sick and dies for us to find out the girl never existed. >> this is an elaborate hoax. >> this story is intriguing to everyone who hears it. >> people love a good story and this is an interesting one. it is pretty juicy. >> was the notre dame superstar

duped by someone playing a cool trick, a scheme called "cat fishing" damed after a documentary and tv show where people fake their identities as part of an online dating scheme. >> if it is a lie he is covering it up. >> he talked about how they met and carried on a three-year relationship. >> i have seen the most beautiful girl i have ever met. not because of her physical beauty but her character. >> i don't care a his personal life i want to see him play football. >> some fans find it hard to believe. >> you're making up stories about your girlfriend to make yourself more famous. >> he did not win the heisman trophy. notre dame lost to alabama in the championship game. he released a statement saying

he because victim of someone's sick joke and he is humiliated. >> all right, thanks. it will be a while before we get to the bottom of that one. the movie theater in aurora, colorado reopened tonight. three people were killed and dozens were injured. tonight's private ceremony will be held for victims, first responders and victim's family. some have boycotted the event. it will open permanently next friday. >> a popular d.c. hang out spot is returning tonight with major changes. it has been closed since october of 2011. the doors opened less than an hour ago with new renovations. the managerers says the menu has changed and some of the relics from the past did make the

transition. so that's good. a little history hanging on there. >> good deal that should be the case. >> here we are. not a lot of snow to deal with today. >> no. listen let's go back 24 hours. a lot of stuff going on but everything was less and less. all afternoon we're trimming back the expectations and bob ryan did that last night because there wasn't any real stuff happening. everything continues to shift to the south and parts of virginia will get a lot of snow but not in our viewing aerial of virginia. let's get into one part of virginia that is finely getting snowflakes. this is in shenandoah national park. this is the leading edge of the transitional edge of light rain and snow. you see on the radar, we have a lot of dry air but for now, rain to the eevent south. rain to the southwest

transitioning and changing into the snow. but the dry air is a key player. you can see the sky, how bright it was, the dry air is in charge and it is driving temperatures slowly but it is prohibiting the moisture to getting into our area. i don't think we'll see much more in the district. maybe there's a places in the beltway area that will see a couple of flakes. there's a nice pocket of heavy moisture in portions of south carolina and north carolina. here the way we think it will pan out tonight. temperatures well above freezing everywhere. 42 in the nation's capital. what falls from the sky, the ground temperatures don't tell you a darn thing. you have to know what the temperatures are with that condensation level and it will be colder there first. then that cold air will come down to the surface.

everything has been scaled back and now we have winter weather advisories through southern maryland and parts of virginia. it's a large area of winter storm warnings in effect. this is through virginia and north carolina has a big-time heavy january snowstorm. buzz of that dry area -- because of that dry air that is upholding right now. we're going to try to figure out how much snow we will see. it doesn't look like much because the cold air coming in. our futurecast shows an exist of the system tonight. most of the area, the biggest concern maybe temperatures falling into the upper 20's by tomorrow morning. that means thereby will be puddles of water that do not dry out could be icy. and some places that had snow on the ground that could be an issue. for the weekend, it will be

spectacular that is headed our way. here's what we think, some snow across the area possible. again, it could be a situation where chevy chase gets some flakes but here we don't. maybe one to two inches on grassy areas mainly. clearing skies, breezy and colder overnight. we'll look at the morning hour, we'll be chilly. gusty winds, sunshine, it will feel like in the 20's. over the next seven days the nice looking weekend. for the inauguration day monday will be chilly. the coldest air of the season, tuesday and wednesday. highs only near freezing. it will be mighty cold but only for a couple of days. >> so many people are ready to see the sun. ok so tomorrow. >> the sun will come out

tomorrow. >> that sounds familiar. >> broadway. >> you'll be singing in the commercial break. tonight on "scandal" we're going to learn many more about the rigged elections. you can catch it at 10:00. of course, join us for abc news at 11:00. >> coming up just ahead, a disabled man dies in police custody. just ahead, how it started with a trip to the movie theater and his family's message for police. >> the jury is out on a former d.c. police officer charged of a heinous crime. his story just ahead.

>> the nations. --'s capital is planning president obama's second term. if you don't want to go out then and bat the crowds you can still embrace the history. >> steve is live with some of the things he has found. >> this is going to be one of the most common spots, high above pennsylvania avenue. it is home to one of the most interesting memories of

inaugurations past. it may be tough to top this scene in 2009 but four years later washington is embers mersed in inauguration fever once again. in attempt to moving a tribute from those waxing. >> this is our pennsylvania avenue -- >> inaugural history is on display for the front page combining the biggest stories of the day. >> president george bush 41 played at one of his inaugural balls. the guitar was given to him. >> if you have to pick one item it may be this the famed lincoln bible the actual one touched by the hands of lincoln and barack obama. >> this bibe is as ordinary as

it could possibly be. it is family bible printed by ox nard university press. it is a little dressed up because it is a family bible but it is a very ordinary 19th century bible until lincoln put his hands on it. >> but he didn't keep it. it got to the library of congress which will be on display for a few weeks next to lincoln's inaugural address. if you would like to see the lincoln bible you can do so for a limited time. it will go on display two days after the inauguration. next wednesday at the library of congress. it will remain on display until february 18 which is president's day. as far as the exhibit here at the museum it only runs through january 27. >> very nice. thank you so much. coming up here at 5:00, a big comeback at the box office.

we're going to hear what arch campbell thinks about arnold schwarzenegger's comeback. >> the man accused of killing his girlfriend and his young child. >> a forecast of winter storm and what it p

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>> you're watching abc 7 news at 5:00 on your side. >> looks like the big snow fall event of the new year will have

to wait. >> you can hear the groans already. it looks like we'll be spared but not everyone is in the clear. let's check in with doug hill and see what is going on. >> the metro area is going to be just fine. cloudy skies you outside the belfort weather center, there will snow, maybe a few flakes but most of it is to the south. let's check out the radar. we have dry air stretching through pennsylvania and new england so it keeping the rain to the south and the west. it will be a slow process during the evening and nighttime hours. in the south a large area producing snow. all of that will transit to south and just keep us in the northern fringes. as we get through even thing hours, the only real threat will be across southern maryland and the adjacent sections that are

highlighted in blue. southside, south central virginia and through the western north carolina, i think it will pull out we'll have some snowflake activity. the purple area is the advisory area maybe one to two inches then you get real snow business farther south. three inches or more across old dominion. >> even a slightest risk of a frosty commute did not have many washington commuters change their routine. >> the electronic message board that will you see behind me is telling people to use call your attention as they head to the south or the west. a lot of people anticipated this storm over the last 24 hours and some chose to stay on the side of caution and head out of town today. >> plow trucks were loaded up

with sault and they sat ready what was predicted to a late afternoon storm. they worked to get ready for the first snowfall of the season. >> we have much better ability to predict when a storm is coming where is it likely to hit, how much is it likely to be. for those we can have them leave in an okay straighted manner. >> some workers decided to head home after lunch. the railway people used after lunch. >> it is going to get bad around 3:00 so i'm hoping to get my car in manassas before it starts. >> many remember the snowstorm that hit washington, d.c. two yires go this month. their early departure is a way of reliving that commuter

nightmare. >> we were stuck on the road last year and it is still in my mind. >> last snowstorm i got stuck and had to abandon my car and walk home. i did not wang to take a chance -- want to take a chance and do that again. >> some talked to their managers to see if they can telecommute tomorrow but as of this point they are going to be heading into the office. suzanne kennedy, abc 7 news. >> let's get and check on the traffic situation. at least the snow hasn't made a mess of things tonight. >> 395 southbound doesn't have too much of a delay. we have typical afternoon rush hour delays. inner loop has delays across the american legion bridge as you make your way to 270 spur you

see delays there. at georgia avenue near connecticut avenue there are no problems there. 270 northbound very slow off the beltway heading to montrose road. as you make your way through clarksburg also finding some delays. that is the latest. back to you. >> we have some breaking news right now on the trial of a former d.c. police officer. we are told there is a verdict in the case of phillips who was accused of killing his girlfriend and young child. we're live outside the courthouse. >> i was just inside when the judge told everyone else at least the attorneys in the courtroom that she is expecting the jury to come back with some sort of ver dignity. she ordered pizza because they were taking their time. we may hear a verdict in the case. this is an interesting case

because throughout the trial, we did not hear the defendant's bring any witnesses to the stand. that is because they believe the prosecution just doesn't have a case against mr. phillips. of course, the jury will have to decide. during closing arguments the state described richmond phillips as a liar, cheater, and a user of women who spun a web of lies soseso his wife would not find out about his affair and the child he fathered. he murdered wright because he did not want to pay child support. a state attorney said he used his left hand to shoot and kill wright outside a community center. evidence shows, he says, he dragged her body to a wooded area. he parked the car in a parking lot on a hot summer day and left his daughter to "bake and cook"

until she was dead. 37 seconds is the timeline where they argue that richmond could not have had time to move wright's body. they point to video that did not catch the murder. they reminded the jury no gun was ever found and witnesses never came forward. now if he is convicted of the two murders he is facing life in prison without parole. i'm going to go back inside to see if there is a verdict. we'll bring you the latest information -- any information we get. >> keep us posted. abc news is tracking the latest on the hostage situation plague out in algeria. i talked to diane sawyer about that. that deadly hostage situation is confusing and terrifying. what is the angle you are looking at tonight? >> tonight, we'll be able to

take you behind the scenes on the decision-making. again, everybody is thinking of those hostages taken by these new kind of terrorists. >> it appears you have something that might give people the shivers, waking up during surgery? >> yes. one out of 1,000 people wake up during through surgery, they can feel it but they cannot speak. tonight we're going to tell you about a break through. there is something new and there is hope to make sure it never happens to you. by the way if you get that snow and need help getting dig out call me. >> i think we have plenty of snow shovels now we're just waiting for the snow to show. those stories and more tonight on "world news" right after abc 7 news at 6:00. >> that is nice of her. coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00, a family is left went unanswered

questions. a disabled man dies in police custody. we'll tel you what happens with this ahead. >> mark wall burg uncover wahlberg uncovers a mystery coming up. >> coming up at 6:00 we talked about how bad the flu season is this year and we'll tell you which store has

>> action and suspense dominated the box office this weekend. >> but are they worth the price of admission? arch campbell is here with some big names and big premieres to tell us about. >> arnold schwarzenegger makes a comeback while mark wahlberg and russell crowe make a nice paycheck in the movies this week. >> everything i do is for the city. i chose you because i own you. >> russell crowe plays a mayor who hires mark wahlberg. he follows his wife who is played by catherine zeta-jones. great cast, thin stripts.

two stars, r rated. on clearance sale this weekend. arnold schwarzenegger looks pretty good as a sheriff in "last scand." he is determined to jump across the arizona border in a rocket-powered corvette. it has outrageous action but it is worth a sexull of stars. best bets, "lincoln," "a go" and the "silver linings playbook"." i'm feeling the love for "a go" this weekend. if you have not seen it watch it. >> a lot of people will see it after what happened at the golden globes. >> i think more and more and you're going to hear about it between now and oscars. i revised my predigses.

>> thank you. >> coming up next, a big shift in the trial of an executive. >> what he told a judge today that changes everything. >> the sheriff's deputies are investigating a mysterious death. a 26-year-old man with down syndrome is handcuff

>> a man's trip to a movie theater ended with him dying in police custody. >> it started with a dispute over a ticket. the man's family still has a lot of unanswered questions. >> when he was born the characteristics of down syndrome were obvious. >> he just loved unconditionally, everybody. >> now she's fighting to understand why a brush with the law ended this her son's death. >> that did not need to happen. >> he left their home last saturday night to see a movie. when the movie ended he wanted to see it again and refused to

leave. three sheriff deputies were called in. >> they physically removed him. he was briefly halved but he began having a medical emergency. he was uncuffed, e.m.s. was contacted and transported to the hospital and later died. >> his mother says he had no pre-existing medical conditions. he can't understood how he died after being taken into into police custody. >> he never had someone put their hand on him before. >> he was very involved in this church. he sang in the men's choir here. just hours after he died, the seat he always sat in was covered with flowers. >> it is a sad situation for someone to be at a movie and dies. i can't believe it. >> with a heavy heart his mother awaits the medical examiners

report. >> it's a tragedy. >> john leopold will have his case handled as a bench trial. he waived his right for a trial by jury and decided to have a judge decide his guilt or innocence. he is charged with misusing security while having sex with women. >> sad news tonight the woman who first began the "dear abby" column has died. newspaper readers know pauline friedman phillips as "dear abby." she is harolded as the woman who opened the door for personalities like dr. phil and oprah. she was 94 years old. >> her advise will go on forever. >> absolutely. her daughter continues the

column. >> gordon peterson is live in the newsroom with a look ahead. >> tonight at 6:00, the boeings streamliner has been grounded. a rival company uses the same batteries and it is all under investigation. also tonight, a few day was from the inauguration but people are already looking for parking spaces believe it or not. >> i believe it. we'll following breaking news from prince george's county where they found richmond phillips guilty of first-degree murder on his wife and child. we're going to have more on this as the information continues to come in tonight. >> all right let's see how things are looking for doug hill in the weather center. >> slowly the snow is making its

way to the west. let's get to it. that shows rain to the east and to the south and the color changes shows where the snow is overtaking the rain. it is a low progress but there is so much dry air in place. i don't think we'll see more than a few flakes in the d.c. area. the chances increase the farther south and southeast you go. temperatures are well above freezing but once the precipitation starts it will cool the air and that's how we'll reduce temperatures. the dry air to the north is going to keep this a nonevent. the blue shaded areas that is winter weather advisory, maybe an inch or two tonight. but the glares pink those are in the best locations to big up significant accumulations up to 3 to 6 inches or more. breezy and cold, overnight, temperatures may be below freezing in the morning.

that could be mean a touch of ice from the standing water that freezes. temperatures holding in the 30's throughout the day with gusty winds. a pleasant weekend, a cold inauguration day with flurries and 30's. if you get a chance check out wjla.com, we have a live blog working on the website all day long. we will continue to update everything you need to know about the weather. we'll take a break here. >> all right. >> get your seats. i know you have your seats the nationals are going to have a tough time improving on last year's regular season, 91 wins. but they are thinking beyond that. they are thinking about the world series. they introduced they new starter. now he's here. he turned down a $13.3 million deal with the yankees to come

here. he's excited to be part of the national' family. >> he's done it successfully everywhere he's been and we expect him to continue that. he's not afraid and he's only going to add to what we believe is a great, young, deep, and talented bullpen. >> he loves his new closer. last night at the comcast arena they were down one with two seconds left. alex is watching the play and the by guy gives maryland a lead. would be a miracle? here's the pass, here's the play, maryland gets the biggest one of the year. they are now 14-3 and starting to grow up. hockey is back so gear up for

the caps. they open sunday and they are skating on a appreciation night in the phone booth. this is a great way to ease them back into the hockey schedule. in the old town down, britt mchenry is with the cast and will be with us with the owner. that is coming up at 6:00. >> that is good news for the downtown area. >> absolutely. >> we'll see you later. so the injury to rg3's knee has put a focus on the risk of sports. >> we found out that type of injury is common

>> the number of a.c.l. injuries have tripped since 2000. quarterback rg3 femalelies are

more likely to tear their a.c.l.'s. >> soccer player knew sher to her a.c.l. the second it happened. >> i stopped too quickly and my knee gave out. it is so common that the pain and the way my knee was out i knew. >> a new study found that females are three times more likely than males to tear their a.c.l.'s. >> it has more -- because their knee is turned in a little bit it predisposes them to this injury. >> teen girls are especially prone. >> i know about five or six girls who have torn their a.c.l. in the past year. >> a.c.l. prevention exercises focuses on balance, and proper

landing techniques and found they can reduce the risk of injuries for girls. >> toes, heels, everything in contact. >> they do it at every practice. >> creating a strong hip will protect the hips a little bit and creating strong ankles will help protect the knees as well. >> though the exercises may not prevent every injury they are certainly helping her player and only take 15 minutes a day compared to a six months of recovery for a tear. >> how can i not do that to prevent an injury. >> now you know. that's it for abc 7 news at 5:00. abc 7 news at 6:00 starts right now. >> good evening. don't worry about the ride home

it is not going to be as tough as we thought possible. >> it looks like we're going to get more rain than snow. so let's get to the forecast with doug hill. >> things are looking ok in the metro area. it is dry, cloudy and chilly right now. rain to the effort and back to the southwest a little rain changing into snow. a bigger scan shows a lot of snow and a lot of rain but the way it is transversing to the mid-atlantic it looks like we'll bonn the fringes. because of that, no advisories in the metro area but winter advisory in the southern virginia. our winter storm warnings well to the south of north carolina. significant snow in those regions. a big storm but just because it is such a drop to the north, only some snow through the